My Immortal
by Briana Marie
Summary: COMPLETE! A story about love and the things we sacrifice for love.


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Lily and Petunia or any other characters you may recognize throughout this story. I also don't own the wizarding world or basically anything else you recognize from the Harry Potter series. That all belongs to the wonderful goddess of writing, J.K. Rowling. So don't sue me!

A/N: This is a repost. It got taken down because I had the lyrics up. Just a warning, I cried while I was writing it. It is a songfic based on Evanescence's "My Immortal" and I know that there are about 300 or so other fics out there on this song, but I just had to write this. I hope you all like it.

Oh, and I remembered getting a review the last time I had this up and I just assumed that everyone knew the facts, but for those of you who don't, the dates correspond to the dates that have been determined in canon, meaning Harry was born in 1980 and started at Hogwarts in 1991, so the dates in this story correspond to his sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts. Enjoy.

* * *

June 22, 1998 

Everywhere around the world wizards and witches celebrated. It was the one year anniversary of the fall of Voldemort. The wizarding world was free from the tyrannical Dark Lord once again. Just about ever magical being celebrated and were filled with merriment. But Hogwarts castle did not celebrate. Because for Hogwarts, it was not just the anniversary of the fall of the Dark Lord, it was also the anniversary of the death of a friend. A lover. A hero.

Down in the Great Hall there was a feast being held in the hero's honor. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were crying on one another's shoulders. At first Ron had just tried to comfort Hermione, but had eventually succumbed to his own tears. Luna Lovegood sat with a blank stare on her face, her eyes shimmering in sadness. Neville Longbottom wept openly while Dean Thomas tried his best to comfort the boy, though he too was having trouble holding in his tears.

If anyone had been able to see past their grief they would have noticed that one person was missing. This person had not been able to work up the nerve to go down and face the accusing stares, to see the faces of grief. This person stayed in the Gryffindor common room staring at a picture of a happy couple. There in that picture were two smiling teenagers wrapped in a warm embrace.

"Why'd you have to do it? Why? I know, you did it to save the world, to save _me_, but I still can't believe you're gone. And yet you're not. Your ghost haunts me. Every night I see you in my dreams. I see you die and I wonder what I could have done differently to save you. I see you in my dreams, I hear your voice wherever I go. I think I'm starting to go insane. Even though you're gone, I still love you, and you still have me."

* * *

July 31, 1996 

Harry Potter sat in the room he was sharing with his best friend Ron Weasley. It was just a few minutes past midnight and he was officially sixteen. Most people are excited to turn another year older. But all Harry could think about was the fact that he would never be able to celebrate another birthday with his Godfather, Sirius Black, and that it was likely he would not even live to see many more birthdays. He had a destiny to fulfill; a destiny that could end up leaving him dead.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the door to the bedroom slowly creaking open.

"Harry? Are you awake?"

"Yeah, Ginny, what are you doing up?" Harry asked, climbing off his bed and going towards the door.

"I wanted to wish you Happy Birthday and give you your present," Ginny said, gently taking Harry's hand and leading him out the door and downstairs.

Once the two were both seated in the kitchen, Harry looked around and said, "Where's my present?"

"It's right here," Ginny said, staring at Harry in a most unnerving way.

"What do you mean?" Harry said, once again looking around the kitchen, confused.

"It's me," Ginny said, and upon seeing Harry's eyes go wide she continued, "Oh get your mind out of the gutter, Harry. I didn't mean _that_. I meant that you need to talk to someone and I know you never will unless that person forces you. So here I am. Talk to me Harry."

Harry stood and began to walk out the door. He couldn't possibly talk about this with Ginny. This was his best friend's little sister. She was too young to understand. Harry wasn't sure anyone would be able to understand, but he was certain this young girl wouldn't be able to.

"Harry James Potter, you sit down right now," Ginny said as loudly as she dared in a voice that very much reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley.

Harry sat and stared at Ginny in shock.

"Don't you dare try to claim I am too young for you to talk to, Harry. I am a year younger than you, and we both know that I have been through a lot. I may not have been through as much as you, but we both know what I went through my first year at Hogwarts. I've never really talked about it Harry, and it has nearly killed me. You need to talk about whatever it is that is bothering you, or it will eat you alive."

Harry stared at Ginny and let this all register in his mind before he asked, "How did you know I was thinking you were too young?"

Ginny smiled and said, "You and Ron get the same look in your eye when you are trying to protect me. Hermione gets it sometimes, too. It's really rather annoying."

Harry smiled and the two began talking about Ron and how overprotective he was. The conversation turned from there to Ron and Hermione and whether or not they would realize how much they cared for one another that year. And eventually Harry began talking about his Godfather and how he felt his death was his fault. The words just came so naturally, and by the time Harry revealed to Ginny that he must either turn murderer or be murdered, he was crying in her arms while she comforted him.

The two could see the first light of sunrise shining through the kitchen window by the time their conversation was through, and Harry felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

As the two walked back to their bedrooms, Harry pulled Ginny into a tight hug and said, "Thank you. That was the best birthday present I have ever gotten."

* * *

August 23, 1996 

Harry awoke suddenly from his sleep and sat up in bed. He had been dreaming about the night Sirius died again. After his talk with Ginny the dreams had stopped coming every night, but he still had one occasionally.

Harry was about to go back to sleep when he heard a faint crying. It was so quiet, he almost wasn't sure he had really heard it, but he decided to go investigate all the same.

When he stepped into the hallway, he was sure he could hear crying, and it was coming from Ginny's room.

Harry knocked gently on Ginny's door, but there was no answer. He was debating whether or not he should go in when he heard her let out a blood curdling scream. He burst into the room and shook the redhead awake.

"Huh . . . Harry? Oh, Harry!" Ginny said, clinging to the raven-haired boy in desperation.

Harry tried his best to calm her, but she just kept crying. He rocked her and whispered softly into her ear telling her that it was just a nightmare and that everything would be all right. When she finally calmed down she looked up at him and he gently wiped her tear-streaked face.

"It was just a nightmare, Ginny. You're safe now," Harry said soothingly.

Ginny shook her head and said, "But it wasn't just a nightmare, Harry."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I don't think you, or anyone else, realizes what I went through in first year. It wasn't just being possessed by Tom, though I do still have nightmares about him coming for me again. It was the fact that I was almost a murderer," Ginny said, breaking down in tears again.

Harry's eyes widened in shock and he said firmly, "You were not, Ginny! No one died, and even if anyone had, it wouldn't have been your fault. It would have been Voldemort's."

"But _I'm_ the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets, _I'm_ the one who freed the Basilisk. It would have been my fault."

"You were under Voldemort's control, Ginny," Harry said. Then realization suddenly hit the young boy and he pulled Ginny's face up so that her eyes were staring into his. "Don't you understand, Ginny? I'm telling you what you kept trying to tell me. Voldemort is the murderer. If anyone had died, you would have been as responsible for their deaths as I am for my parents', or Cedric's, or Sirius'."

"But I already told you. None of those deaths are your fault . . . oh," Ginny said, a small smile spreading across her face.

Harry smiled at her as well and the two met in an embrace.

"Now, I know you won't ever really stop thinking about what could have happened, just like I'll never _really_ stop blaming myself for the deaths of my loved ones, but as long as I believe you're innocent and you believe I'm not at fault, then that is enough. We can believe in each other," Harry said, feeling a little better knowing that there would be someone who truly believed in him.

"Oh Harry, I believed in you long before you asked me to," Ginny said, blushing slightly.

Harry stared down at the girl and felt his heart fill with love. This girl didn't just believe in him, she loved him. And he realized, knowing that she was probably the only person who had truly been tormented in the same way he had by Voldemort, he loved her as well.

He didn't even realize what he was doing, but the next thing he knew, he was kissing Ginny and he realized he never wanted to kiss anyone else.

* * *

June 22, 1998 

"Harry? Are you coming down, mate? It's almost time for graduation, and you know you were voted to speak," Ron said, coming into the common room.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Harry said, once again looking at the picture of him and Ginny. It was a picture taken a few days before the battle. The Gryffindor Quidditch team had just won the Quidditch Cup and Ginny had nearly pounced on Harry in excitement. Hermione had captured the moment.

"You know, I don't think I had ever seen her happier than when she was with you," Ron said, glancing at the picture in Harry's hand.

"Yeah. But even when I was with her, I was alone," Harry said, fighting his tears back.

Ron looked at his friend and frowned. He had grown quite used to Harry's insane rambling by now, but that didn't mean he understood it.

"By loving me, she was destined to die. 'He will have power the Dark Lord knows not.' She gave me that power, and to do it she had to die. By loving me, she left me alone," Harry said, more to himself than Ron.

Ron just shook his head and gently lead his friend out the door. He missed his sister more than words could even describe, but no one was more affected that Harry. After all, he had been there when she died.

* * *

June 22, 1997 

Harry had tried everything short of hexing the members of the D.A. to keep them from following him into battle, but nothing had worked. They knew he was headed for a final showdown and they wanted to be there with him.

And they were proving themselves worthy of battle. Harry watched as the students he had been teaching for two years blocked powerful curses and threw curses that he was certain they would not have been able to master if it hadn't been for the D.A.

Harry effectively knocked out the Death Eater he was fighting when he felt a pain in his scar. It wasn't a pain he had ever really felt before. It was more of a tingling; Voldemort was calling him.

Harry looked around the Ministry, where the battle was taking place once again, and saw that the others had dispatched most of the Death Eaters. He then quietly snuck out of the room and went to the place he knew Voldemort would be.

The moment he walked into the Death Chamber Harry could hear the soft murmur of voices coming from the veil once again. With a pang in his heart he thought of Sirius, but pushed the thought away and focused his attention on the wizard standing in the pit.

"Mr. Potter, I was hoping we could do this one on one, but it seems you need to have your girlfriend with you as a body guard," Voldemort said in a cold hiss.

Harry whirled around for a split second and saw Ginny. Then realizing that it was very dumb to turn his back to the dark wizard he turned back around.

With his back to Ginny and his eyes and wand on Voldemort he said, "Ginny, get out of here. It is too dangerous. I told you about the prophecy and you know that only Voldemort or I can end this."

Ginny stepped up to him and placed her hand in his and said, "I know that, but I will not leave you to face him alone. You've been alone your whole life and I told you I would never let you be alone again."

Harry made to protest again when Voldemort called out "_Accio_wands!"

The two young students' eyes went wide in horror as their wands floated down to the man.

"Now Potter, I finish what I started sixteen years ago . . . _AVADA KEDAVRA_!"

The next two seconds were the longest two seconds of Harry's life. He braced himself, knowing there was nothing he could do, and prepared to die. He sent out a silent apology to the wizarding world for failing them and squeezed Ginny's hand tightly. He knew that she would be the next killed and he knew that it would be his fault. However, Ginny had other ideas. While the green light was flashing towards him, Ginny spun herself around, still holding onto Harry's hand and faced him. As the spell hit her in the back, green eyes met brown, and a blood curdling scream escaped Harry's lips.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry screamed, letting go of Ginny and running towards her murderer.

Voldemort raised his wand once more and said, "_AVADA KEDAVRA_!"

He was thoroughly shocked when Harry was not only still alive, but actually crackling with magical energy.

"The girl! She loved you!" Voldemort said angrily.

"Yes, she did. And I loved her more than anyone else in this world," Harry said dangerously.

"Well let's see how many killing curses that love will protect you from."

"_Accio_ wand!" Harry said. Voldemort laughed, but much to his surprise, Harry's wand flew into the boy's outstretched hand.

The wizard recovered from his shock quickly though and fired a killing curse at Harry. Harry said the first spell that popped into his mind, not really caring what it was. He just wanted to make a wand connection. He needed to see Ginny again.

Just as they had two years previously, the two wands connected in a stream of gold light. The golden dome once again enclosed the two wizards, and Harry knew what he had to do. Before Harry's wand could even begin to vibrate he was willing the little golden bead in the thread connecting the two wands back towards Voldemort.

Voldemort was trying to will the bead as well, but could not do so. He was pushing it with anger, but Harry was pushing it with love. He needed to see Ginny again, he had to see the woman who may have saved the wizarding world with her act of love.

As the beam hit Voldemort's wand, Harry could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. Slowly, Ginny's beautiful image emerged from the wand.

It took everything Harry had not to drop his wand and run to the image of his love in front of him. He knew that she was just a shadow, but she looked so real.

His eyes conveyed the one question he so desperately needed to ask, _Why?_

"I had to Harry," Ginny said, her own face glistening with tears. "You're the only one who could defeat him. If you died, we'd all die. And if I was going to die, I was going to die being a hero, just like you. You've always been my hero Harry and now maybe I can be yours. Do what you have to do. Kill him. Save the world. Live the life that you've been deprived of, and know that no matter what, I will always be with you. I will always love you."

As Ginny spoke, more and more shadows were emerging from Voldemort's wand. They were surrounding him and Harry could actually see the fear in his eyes. He nodded at Ginny to show that he understood and that he was ready.

Before Voldemort could even realize what had happened, Harry broke the connection and was running at him. The shadows were still surrounding him and he had no escape. As he was pushing Voldemort through the arch, he realized that he had nothing left to live for, and prepared to throw himself through as well, but a hand stopped him.

He turned and looked into Ginny's eyes. She shook her head and leaned forward to kiss him before fading away along with the rest of the shadows.

Harry collapsed onto the floor beside the veil. It was over. Voldemort was gone. He had done what he was destined to do . . . and he had lost everything important to him in the process.

Slowly, Harry stood up and gathered Ginny's body into his arms. He carried her up through the Ministry, prepared to tell the others that it was over.

* * *

June 22, 1998 

As Harry Potter stood in front of all the students, finishing his speech, no one could begin to imagine the pain that he was feeling. From the moment he was born he had been destined for one thing and he had completed that task. He had lost everything in the process. But for one beautiful year, he had known love: real, true love, and it had meant more to him than being the savior of the Wizarding World could ever mean.

"The world will remember me as the one who defeated Voldemort. I will be immortal. As the ages go on, my name will live, but the people of the future will forget the name Ginevra Weasley. But I will never forget. She will always be immortal to me; she is my immortal."


End file.
